Past, Future and Mind
by EshtarWind
Summary: She was the reader of the future. He was the reader of the mind… Will they be able to free themselves from their cage together or instead, having their freedom flies away? [AU NejiTen. An entry for NejiTen AU Contest by NejiTen FC]
1. The Cold and The Dark

**Author's Note: Alright, this is a fic for the NejiTen AU Contest held by NF's NejiTen FC… For those who already read my previous fics, as you all expect, this fic contains my signature action/adventure thing. This one is kinda darker than usual though… and without my wonderful proof-reader, Shiranui The Brave, I'm sure my grammar sucks. (T.T) Gomen, ne! Anyway… This fic is dedicated for my beeeeeeeest friend Meooow-chan! Hehehehe… ;p Enjoy… Unya!**

**This **is the future

_This_ is thought.

**_This_** is past.**  
**

**------------------------------**

**The Cold and The Dark**

**-------------------------------**

_We want to become adults, so please grant one of our selfish wishes  
For a short while stop the time that binds us day or night  
We're worthless, but at least don't cut down the fruit of our freedom  
It's okay if we wait for it to ripen redly, right?_

**Chiwata Hidenori: Scab Kasabuta**

**------------------------------------------------------**

_I didn't know… when did I arrive in this place… This cold, dark, and enclosed place. Every inch of this room felt as if it was ready to engulf everyone in its suffocating darkness. A dark, big monster waiting in the shadow… looking for the time to bare its fang._

"Number 103 has come back."

The door in front of her suddenly flung open, revealing a laboratory filled with various equipments that she didn't understand… but one thing that she knew, it was not a good sign.

"Finally… you come here, 103," A white haired man with glasses turned to look at her. She didn't remember anything of him… but his existence made her blood turned cold

_He had seen me before, I knew… He must've known everything about me… or perhaps he was the one that made me forget everything… _Everything, except the painful fact that she was a captive here in this overpowering room.

"Tie her."

"What?!" She tried to struggle against all the gloved hands strangling her. Fear started to creep inside her as a voice deep in her head screaming desperately. _I've been through this before… I didn't remember anything… _but her body did. It refused… it was terrified… and now her heart felt the same… "Let me go! Lemme go!! Let…"

SLAP! The burning sensation imprinted itself on her cheek. One of the masked guards shook her hard then threw her to the seat. He tied her firmly, ignoring her shouts and screams. A device was strapped on her head. A high pitched ringing sound was heard when the guard activated the tool with a click. She was scared… Her body tensed. This was it. There was no way out… and she knew, the hell would show itself in front of her.

"Turn it on."

A painful jolt hit her head. She gritted her teeth as she struggle not to scream… And her effort was a futile… when the white haired man opened his glove… and touched her skin with his bare fingers…

Her brown eyes widened… and the scenes stormed right in.

"Aaa… aaa… AAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!"

"**The calculation won't match…"**

"… **The device is not working! Her mind is leaking! She is…"**

"… **Count it from the start of…"**

"… **Bring the gun!"**

"… **Kill him! Don't let him…"**

"**What are you…"**

"**Whip! Bring the co…"**

"… **Don't m…"**

"… **There! Running be…"**

"**TRAITOR!"**

ZAP! And everything just stopped. Sweats dripped from her chin, her eyes were unsteady. Her body stiffened because of the sudden wave of pain and her head throbbed like it was going to blow. The white haired man released her hand. He turned around to face a wide screen then emotionlessly said, "She's still a broken tool. Threw her to her room. We will examine her later."

Underneath the pain and suffering… slowly her mind recollected itself... A piece of herself that she was able to find again… only a piece…

"**_The future will reveal itself… simply by your touch…"_**

The future… was what she had already just seen.

X

The room was cold and dark. She was the only living thing in there… Bind to the wall with a chain like an animal… Crouching alone on the floor without any light…

_Who… am I?_

"_**Number 103, go and do your job."**_

_Why am I here?_

"_**She's still a broken tool."**_

_Why… Why can't I remember anything?!_

"Number 103."

A cold voice rose from behind the door. She shifted a little; making the chain that bind her feet grazed the hard floor. Her cocoa brown orbs flew towards the iron door. Her torture was coming once again.

_Click._

The sound made her fully conscious. She didn't turn her head but her eyes looked intently as a pair of black boots stepped into the room in a careful, agile step. She didn't move a bit as the guard that walked inside bent down and unlocked her chain from the wall.

"Move."

His voice was hard and forcing. There was an empty hollow in his tone, covered by layers of ignorance. It surprised her to see that she was actually feeling attracted to the guard. Her heart felt like… she had known him before…

"I've told you to move."

He was getting pissed. She still stayed by her place, somehow enjoying the existence of someone other than her in that cold place.

"If you wish for me to call you with your real name, your effort is in vain. I don't know your name."

He told her the truth… and he guessed her right. She slowly lifted her head to look at her guard… and how shocked she was when she saw a pair of glassy white orbs gazed impassively to her brown ones.

"You…"

She knew him… her heart knew him… but… but who was he? Who? Did he know her too?

"Number 103," said the guard monotonously. "Follow me."

He turned around but she quickly shouted, "You know me, don't you?!"

He stopped. His glare was piercing as he glanced back at her.

"I know you as much as you know me now."

_Don't ask anything._ It was his eyes' words. _You'll hurt both of us._

Then suddenly she knew… he was the same as her.

They were both brainwashed. And now nothing left in their memory for themselves to keep.

**---------------------------**

**To Be Continued**

**---------------------------**


	2. Scream

**Author's Note: Finally the FFN upload work!! I have tried for days:(((((((((((( Ma, at least it works now. All thanks to Matahari for the suggestion!! Thanks!! **

**Well, I'm sorry for grammar mistakes. I'm a sucker in grammar. Don't forget to review! Ja ne!**

**----------------------------------------------------------------**

**_She brought him a flick of his past…_**

_**A streak of light…**_

_**The moment she saw the future…**_

_**A question answered…**_

**-------------------------**

**Scream**

**-------------------------**

_Dancin' bloody heart  
Love, the thunderous color tone is life _

It's an unstoppable fate, chained race

**Maximum the Hormone: Zetsubou Billy**

-------------------------------------------------

The brown eyes… and that twin buns on her head… He never suspected her to be this familiar... So familiar that he loathed his heart for recognizing her. He was wounded enough by forgetting his identity and now his heart added another problem. He wanted to know her. He wanted to remember her. Who was she and where did she come from… and… and why… why did he feel like he knew her? Why did she look familiar to him? And… what was this feeling? What was this feeling of… longing? Why did he… did he…

The thought refused to go away as they walked along the corridor towards Number 2's room. He never liked the man... and somehow, his heart refused to let the girl behind him met that devil. But what reason did he have to refuse? He didn't even know the girl… right? Why did he want to protect her?

"Where… are you taking me?"

Her voice was cracked out of exhaustion but it was steady enough to make him surprised that she had some strength left. She was locked in an enclosed chamber for two days with no food and just a little amount of water but she survived. Survived, and strong enough to ask him.

"There's no need for you to…"

"What do you want to do to me?"

"There's no benefit to…"

"You're the same as me, aren't you?"

He stopped. Her eyes pierced his back like a pair of knife. She demanded a reaction and she wouldn't stop until he gave her what she wanted. She took another deep breath and asked slowly, "Who are you?"

There was an inconvenient silence hung between them. He didn't turn back when he continued his steps.

"I ask you the same question."

She didn't move a muscle to follow him. Not until he answer.

"You know me… don't you?" She was stubborn… and she wouldn't stop asking. "We've met before. Just tell me who you are and perhaps we both can…"

"I'm number 27," he said briskly. A translucent eye answered her questioning cocoa brown orbs. "He's who I am now."

_But he's not who I was…_

She didn't say anything more. Now the silence between them was not out of agitation… it was out of understanding. She was suffering and so was he. They survived, but both wounded. They yearned to remember but forced to forget. She asked and he replied with question. They both seek for answer. A fleeting answer, gliding in the clouds of their forgotten memories.

"Follow me."

He continued to walk on… and finally, she continued to follow.

X

She didn't know how to describe that man before her. He was number 2, or so what the white eyed man already told her. His hair was raven colored and his onyx eyes were dark and filled with obscurity. He looked at her with no change of expression and soon she found out that he had none. He was a man of pure hollow.

"Number 103…" his deep and cold voice trailed, sending chills down her spine. Whatever he wanted to do to her… it was not a good thing. "… The future seer."

Her guard stood stoically near the door as his leader walked slowly towards her. Something wavered in his translucent eyes but he didn't move.

"Kabuto said that you are a broken tool," he bent down in front of her. "Let's see how broken you are."

He stretched a hand towards her… and soon she knew what he intended to do.

"No…" She jerked back quickly but he moved to her twice as fast. "No… No! Don't do it! NO! NO!"

Too late. He grabbed her firmly… and her brown eyes once again widened…

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!"

"**Bind her! She was…"**

"**Kabuto, what ha…"**

"… **FIRE! What…"**

"**She's just…"**

"… **Fool. Like always."**

"… **Precious. Stained wi…"**

"**Hmph. Useless."**

"… **ILL HIM!!"**

"**Just wait."**

"STOP!!! STOPP!!!!" Her scream filled the enclosed room. The translucent eyes watched as she struggled, as she trembled with pain… As her torment drained her life away…

"**That traitor wouldn't get away with this."**

"**Torture her. She will talk."**

"Release me! RELEASE ME!" Her sweat smeared the dark floor… but Number 2 didn't loosen his grip. "LET ME GO! LET ME GOOOO!!!!"

"**A foolish mouse will always sulk in the bottom."**

"**Chase! To the back!"**

He stayed… She screamed but he stayed. And he… he wanted to hug her… he wanted to take those pain away but… but he stayed. He gritted his teeth… He saw it… the tears… Her cry… The pain was too much for…

"**_The sky is where the birds flap their wings," A man with long hair patted his head gently. "Where you will flap your wings."_**

"_**Is that true… Father?"**_

He froze. Wait… was he just…

"**He doesn't worth it."**

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

ZAP! She was lying on the floor like a wounded animal. Her whole body trembled as pain shocked her nerves mercilessly. Her sweat once again soaked her plain white prisoner shirt, dripping to the floor like dews on top of dark water. A strand of brown hair fell from one of her buns, sticking to her pale cheek. Her breath was heavy… She had no power left than to feel her pain.

"She appeared to be quite useful," Number 2 released her hand. He straightened and shot a glare towards the white eyed guard. "Threw her back to her room. I have no need of her today."

He gave his leader a simple nod and stood still until the black haired man disappeared behind the door. And he still stayed by his place as he looked at her half-conscious figure. As he stared at her broken form… at her suffering… and he did nothing.

The only sound that accompanied them was her drained pant. As her breath slowly turned to normal, he realized his heart betrayed him once again. He felt like he wanted to take her to his arms, to end her suffering, to assure her that the world won't harm her anymore… he wanted to tuck the loose strand of her hair back behind her ear… or even tug her buns loose with his fingers. Her breathing… was the only thing he heard and the only thing he concerned. It felt like… if she stopped breathing… then he would stop living… eventually… The thoughts circling his head like cloud in the storm. Then… a question escaped his tongue.

"Who are you?"

His voice was low and weary. With her, suddenly his world turned upside down. His serenity that he found in ignorance and solitude shattered. His self-restraint was on the peak of breaking down as he saw her on the floor. Feelings… He felt it again after years of hollow and loneliness. He suddenly wanted to know his past again, a feeling that has long gone from his mind. His body suddenly turned restless and her scream echoed in his head… His heart… would shatter if he ever heard her scream like that again… Who was her that was able to do such thing towards him?

"I am…" She answered him still… although he knew she had nothing to give. "… someone I have yet to remember."

A streak of light.

Optimism in an enclosed room.

Perhaps what she gave him was not merely suffering like he thought.

----------------------------------------

**To Be Continued**

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	3. The Bread

_**Her words and his resolve… **_

_**A banging on the door… **_

_**An unfolded mind… **_

_**A simple kindness… **_

_**Tears… **_

**---------------------------------- **

**The Bread **

**---------------------------------- **

_You are my stories  
Unread stories  
You are my stories  
Unread stories_

When I gazed at your eyes  
I could see an unknown country 

_**Hitomi Kuroishi: Stories **_

**------------------------------------------------------- **

Her body was surprisingly light as he flung her arm to his shoulder and walked silently in the corridor to her dark and small cell. She didn't make a single move as he moved swiftly like a ghost along the straight path. Her bare feet grazed the floor, leaving trails of sweat leading to her room. They were both silent. They both knew, there was nothing to be talked about.

_If I can go home… If I can run away from here… _

_I wonder what my life was before this… _

The translucent eyes wavered. His transparent orbs reflecting the views of the corridor but his eyes saw something else. No. Not 'saw'. It was 'read'.

_I wonder who the man before me is… _

_Who is he? Who am I? Why is the future unfolded when they touch me? _

_Why… why must I suffer? _

_I have to run away… I have to… If this goes on, I will die… Out of physical exertion… or even out of curiosity... I… I want to go home… _

For him, the silence was a transpired mind, a book unfold. He didn't need to take off his glove and touch her. No. One gaze on her eyes was enough… then she was as bare as he wanted to, anytime he wanted to, keeping eye contact was not a requirement. It was a violation of privacy, he knew… but somehow… his mind reeled on its own accord. His heart already betrayed him the moment he met her… and now his whole body started to do the same.

_Who are you…? Who are you? _

_I don't know who I am… _

_I know you before… I… I feel like I miss you… _I miss you_… _

_I feel the same… Don't you know? _

His steps stopped right in front of her cell.

"We're here."

She shifted a little at the sound of his baritone voice but didn't make any other move. He let her slipped to the floor then one of his gloved hands gripped her wrist firmly so that she couldn't run away. Without a single word, he unlocked the cell.

"Don't throw me in there."

He froze when her hand tugged his sleeve. When he felt her trying to drag her self closer to him.

"_Please._"

Her hands were shaking slightly. She didn't lift her head... She didn't look at him. But he knew. He didn't read her but he knew… He felt it. Her fear. That room drove her crazy. That room stalled her life… No. It drained her. It consumed her like a hungry monster. It wouldn't spare her even a bit of her self.

"If you ever send me there again…" Her voice trembled as she trailed. "… I will die… Don't throw me there! I'm begging you, please don't send me there again! Don't. Please!"

She was not a woman that begs… but she did. It was enough. The dark place… the limited space… the cold… the _solitude_… Everything… Everything was enough.

"I'm sorry."

Her eyes widened. He harshly pulled her by her wrist and threw her to the cell's floor.

"WAIT!!" She quickly crawled to the entrance but he slammed the door shut right before her eyes—blocking the light that shone the room… and her life. "WAIT!!! OPEN THE DOOR!!! OPEN DOOR!"

She pounded the door hard. He walked a step behind, taking a deep, sharp breath into his lungs. He clenched his fists so hard that they hurt. _She was scared… _

"LET ME GO!!!!" She shouted her lungs out, hammering the door as hard as she could with her remaining strength. "LET ME GO!!! You're there, aren't you?! You're still there, aren't you?! LET ME GO!!! I won't ask for anything else! I'M BEGGING YOU!!! OPEN THE DOOR!!! OPEN THE DOOORRR!!!"

The darkness crawled towards her… The silence whispered to her ears. The room was slowly grappling her in its torture once again… She was being eaten… eaten by the darkness and the silence… by the solitude… by her heart…

"YOU'RE KILLING ME, DAMMIT! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!! LET ME GO!! LET ME GO!!!"

He could hear her pounding the iron door. He could hear her shouts… and her fear and her pain… And his heart… his heart felt like it was pierced with daggers… shattered by her scream… but… but he didn't move.

"OPEN THE DOOR! PLEASE!! Please…" She slowly fell to the floor. Her voice died out… just like her remaining power. "… please… just let me go… please… I… I won't ask for anything else… just… open the door… The darkness… is suffocating… Why… Why is it so hard…? DAMMIT, WHY?! WHY?!"

_Why? _

He only stood by her door. Stood still… like a lifeless body…

_I don't know… _

But he didn't open the door. He could hear her wordless cry but he didn't open the door.

_I… don't know… _

And he stood still.

He heard her…

But he didn't open the door.

X

"She's a lot more useful than you predicted," Number 2 folded his arms. "You showed your incompetence again, Kabuto."

"I apologize, Sasuke-san," Kabuto bowed down then straightened his glasses. "I didn't expect her to be able to transpire the future so fully in front of you."

The translucent eyed guard watched as Uchiha Sasuke snorted and looked away. He stood wordlessly beside the two men. His glassy eyes were wavering with thought. Her screams filled his brain like a never-ending song. Her eyes were the last thing he saw and inside those beautiful brown orbs… He saw… he saw…

"And… 27."

He lifted his head when the cold voice of the Uchiha called him. The man's onyx eyes held an unfathomable gleam… a dangerous flash.

"Don't do anything stupid."

He turned around. Kabuto smirked and said, "That's true. You know what we can do to both of you the moment you do something useless."

The two of them walked away. Suddenly, Sasuke stopped on his track.

"One more thing," He didn't turn back but the white eyed man could feel the tension. "She's just a tool… so as you. You don't deserve memories… or even life."

With that notion, he turned around and walked away. Two devils, leaving nothing… but scars.

X

_It's cold… _

_And dark… _

_And alone… _

She hugged her knees tighter. If there was light there, perhaps she could see steams from her breath. But there was no light… nothing. Only emptiness. She leaned her forehead to her knees and closed her eyes. She could feel nothing. It was painful… unbearable…

_Click. _

The sound didn't make her move. Was it another agony she must endure? Another more? The world sure is cruel… so cruel…

A light footstep was heard, walking towards her. She closed her eyes. She was an empty vessel now… She couldn't hope for anything. So she stayed still… Whatever happens around her wouldn't change a single thing. Wasn't… that's how the world turn? Wasn't it? Nobody cared about her… No one will notice anything… Her existence was unreal. She didn't even exist… so she didn't deserve anything in life… Living was not the word to describe her. Living was far too wonderful to be used on her.

"Eat it while it's warm."

She opened her eyes. A scent of warm bread filled her nose and sure enough, her stomach started to grumble. She lifted her head a little… and there it was, right in front of her, a warm slice of bread.

"It won't be enough to satisfy you," That baritone emotionless voice was the one breaking the silence. The one… that snapped her back to the warmth that she forgot. "But this is the best that I can take from the kitchen without being notice."

She looked at those deep, translucent eyes. Everything in those eyes was vague… but… but somehow, she found the courage to reach out and grabbed the bread. The next second after she touched the warm, soft surface, she quickly snatched it away from his hand and brought the bread to her mouth. Once her lips touched it, a voice rose between them.

"I'm sorry."

She didn't say anything. Nothing. But the sudden salty taste of the bread and the wetness of her cheeks talked louder than words can do.

She never knew that a bite of bread could taste so much.

She never knew that a bite of bread… could mean life more than any words can do.

---------------------------------

**To Be Continued**

**---------------------------- **

**Author's Note: Sorry for grammatical error. I'm too exhausted to reedit it again... Gomen, ne... -pass out-**


	4. A Promise

_**A dash by the corridor…**_

_**Gunshots…**_

_**And a promise…**_

**-----------------------------**

**The Promise**

**-----------------------------**

_Sparkle, dance, send up a blue dream  
Someday we'll meet  
You, me, and the love that joins us  
We'll be strong together, forever_

_**Ikimono Gakari: Hanabi**_

-----------------------------------------------------

Both of them didn't understand it. They both didn't understand why they sat together in that cold room without a single word escaped their mouth. They just sat there, together, without anything else to do. It was something completely unimportant… but somehow for both of them, it was the most comfortable thing they ever did for themselves…

The white eyes were staring at the dark ceiling while the soft brown orbs were gazing at the floor—both look were haze and unfocused, like in a trance. But strange enough, the only being they could feel was each other. Just like what filled their mind.

He suddenly rose from his seat. She quickly raised her head at him, throwing a questioning look.

"Where are you going?"

He didn't bother to look at her as he brushed invisible dust from his knees and shoulder.

"You'll know it later on."

She bit her bottom lips. She'll be alone again in that cold room. With him, darkness and cold were nothing. She felt save… and warm… and content. But if he left… solitude would engulf her again… stronger than ever. She didn't know why but… but if he left… she would miss him so much that it hurts. He looked at her for a time with his impassive eyes. He turned towards the door after a few moments, walking away from her.

"I'll come again after a short while."

She lifted her eyes and looked at his back as he went away. She watched as the final streak of light shone the room when he slowly closed the door. After the iron door was completely shut, she closed her eyes again.

If he was going to come back… then let it became the reason why she would survive.

X

Outside the room, he stood still with his gloved hand still lingered on the iron door. His heart pounding a little too fast than it should've been. As he tried to steady himself, he found out that he just couldn't take her away from his mind. Not after he read what was in her mind that transpired just a moment ago…

_I want to be with you._

He gritted his teeth. What made him disturbed was a realization. He realized… that he felt the same as she was. He wanted to be with her too… in where the time was theirs and no one else could bother them. If he could just be with her, nothing else mattered. Nothing.

So the only thing he could do was…

He finally released the iron door and walked away. His mind was set with a purpose and his eyes were gleaming after years of emptiness.

The only way to be with her… was to be free.

X

"They're up to something," Kabuto lifted his glasses up on his nose. "Number 27 and number 103. We shouldn't have paired them from the beginning."

Uchiha Sasuke didn't reply. He was staring blankly at the window, looking at the warehouse of the lab. Kabuto exasperatingly walked towards him and said, "Please, Uchiha-san. Listen to me."

"Torture her. She will talk."

Kabuto stunned for a while.

"Sir?"

"Torture her," He walked towards the door, eyes glimmered with unfathomable gaze. "Bind her. She will scream but the more she screams the better. She will give you a full scenario once the torture is unbearable. Then… the future is yours."

X

White eyes in the dark, flashing like moonlight at night. He stood still but his mind was reeling… Faster… faster… as he read the flashing books in front of him… courtesy of every people he encountered…

_Shit, I shouldn't have let her leave! She will…_

_Jump. Run. Hit… Move…_

_Number 98… Number 98…_

_Geez. I forgot the code again._

_Glove! Glove! My glove!_

_If I can just lay my hand… the dance…_

_Open the door. Dang._

_Access code is… BD435… Ah! Open!_

_Torture. Torture. Torture._

_Take the wheel, drive the car!_

_KL9890…_

_Dang… Dang! She's hot!_

_Took her…_

_Wait. Wait._

_I'll get you next time, Uchiha!_

_Pizza… must deliver pizza…_

_He wanted some... A torture!_

_CT2887._

ZAP! All books in his head were closed at the same time. His eyes flashed. He got what he wanted.

X

She opened her eyes in alarm. The door was opened rather harshly. One thing for sure, it wasn't him.

"Take her."

"What?!" She quickly raised her head, seeing two masked guards with gloves half-running towards her. "Hey! What are… LET ME GO!"

They tried to seize him as she struggled with all power remained in her. Finally one of them took out his guard staff and punched her hard on her temples—made her fell unconscious to the ground almost instantly. They hauled her up and dragged her towards their commander. Kabuto watched as her blood dripped to the dark floor, a ruthless grin find its way to his face.

"Take her to the lab. Prepare the whip. This is going to be interesting."

X

His steps were steady and fast, as they usually were. His fingers traced the outline of a gun on his waist. The road before him will provide absolutely no time to rest. He was silently preparing his heart for everything if he was to…

_What?_

Her room's iron door was left wide open. Something's not right.

He ran towards the open door and looked into the room searchingly. She wasn't there…

And there was something caught his eyes. He bent down and ran a gloved finger over a dark liquid by the floor. His eyes turned grim.

Her blood.

X

Sasuke didn't say anything as they tied her to the chair. His eyes flashed dangerously at her. Kabuto looked at him and said, "Now?"

"Wake her up," Sasuke said lightly. His fingers traced the hilt of a whip. "Don't waste anymore time."

His eyes roved around the room.

"She won't feel any pain when she's asleep."

X

Her head were throbbing. She felt dizzy and her eyes couldn't focus themselves…

"Touch her."

Her eyes snapped open when a figure suddenly grabbed her wrist. And the throbbing was worse than ever…

"AAAARRGGGHHH!!!"

**A sound of dashing… gunshots…**

"**Kill him!"**

"**He's over…"**

"**Get down!"**

WHIP! She screamed when the whip hit her body, leaving a long bleeding cut on her shoulder. The pain filled her brain… and somehow… The scenarios flooded into her mind. Faster… faster…

"**Don't just stay! He's…"**

"… **Put out the fire!"**

"**Get him down!"**

_It hurts… hurts… _She let out shuddered breaths. And she shut her eyes. Then the world turned bright in her mind. So bright… With scenes and lights… Lights… blinding lights… they burn… burn… _BURN_.

ZAP!

"The calculation won't match! Her mind far exceeds the limit!"

Her blood trickled down her cheek, leaving trail of red liquid on her face… Why… why must she suffer? Why were they... The agony… The torment…

"Count it from the start of the experiment!"

"It vanished! The future vanished!"

"**Bring him down!"**

"**He's there!"**

"It's futile! We're losing connection!"

"Hit her!"

THWACK! Pain shot her nerves… But she didn't scream. She could see nothing except the light… and she could feel nothing except the pain…

**Gunshots… **

**Shouts… **

**Explosion… **

**Blood…**

"**Shoot them."**

"**TRAITOR!"**

"Why…" She gritted her teeth. Her body shivered by the intense pain… and the scenes just wouldn't stop. "Why… WHY?! WHY ARE YOU TORTURING ME?!"

BOOM! The main monitor suddenly exploded. Pieces of screen showered the room… and the cable was set on fire.

"The device won't work!" shouted one of the scientists. "Her mind is leaking! She's too powerful!"

"Bring the water! Hurry!"

"We have to stop!" Kabuto turned to look at Sasuke. "Sasuke-san! If this goes on, the room will…"

Sasuke raised his whip.

"Wait! Sasuke-san!"

"**No."**

"**So… it's you all along…"**

"Please…" A shuddered whimper escaped her mouth. "Stop… STOP!"

BLAST! The lamps blew and the room was suddenly rendered dark. Shattered glass showered them from above and Sasuke involuntarily released his grip on her hand, evading the showering glass. The scenes stopped but not the pain…

"Don't move. I'll get you out."

A soft voice snapped her back to the reality, vanishing all the pain from her head… A voice that she remembered dearly…

"You… come…"

Finally she was able to see something beside the torment and the blinding light… A pair of tender translucent orbs…

"Of course."

He released her swiftly and flung her hand over his shoulder. In the darkness, no one could…

"TRAITOR!!"

BLAST! Blood splattered the room… and his left shoulder felt the burning bullets digging into his flesh. His hand suddenly had his gun and he pointed it right towards the attacker.

BANG! The sound of his gunfire alarmed everyone. He dashed to the door, dodging the bullets while dragging her powerless body. Kabuto quickly recovered and shouted, "Kill him! Don't let him take her away!"

BANG! BANG!

He disappeared in an intersection, running away from all the bullets successfully.

"Find him," Sasuke threw his whip to the floor then walked emotionlessly towards the door. "A foolish mouse will always sulk in the bottom. The traitor wouldn't get away with this."

X

He panted as he ran down the corridor. She was on his back, still like a dead body. Her breaths were heavy and she still hasn't recovered from her previous torture.

"There! Running behind the boxes!"

BANG! Three boxes fell behind them. He released one of his hands by her leg and in a flash, a gun was raised. Gunshots filled the corridor and three guards fell dead to the floor. He didn't have time to celebrate though, since six more ran after him.

"KILL HIM!!"

"Get the girl alive!"

Bang! He threw himself behind a box just in time. The woman on his back slowly shifted and wearily said, "Get me down."

"No," He panted as he reloaded his gun. She groaned and said, "Then I get down by myself."

He closed his eyes and finally let her down, only to raise both of his guns to the air and shot six guards that ran after them. She looked at the empty corridor ahead of them and cursed. A guard has arrived and had his gun pointed at her companion.

"Behind you!"

BANG! BANG! The guard fell lifeless to the floor. The white eyed man had his other hand shot him. He twirled his guns.

"Let's go."

As they ran to the end of the corridor, she stopped by the dead guard's body… And took his gun.

"FOUND THEM!"

BANG! A bullet almost caught her, several inches from her head. Cursing, she raised her newly gained gun and shot.

BANG!

Bulls eyes. Her translucent eyed companion stopped on his track and raised one of his perfect eyebrows.

"You're good."

She threw him a bright smile.

"Thanks."

X

**Access Granted**

The door to the indoor parking lot slid open for them. He harshly dragged her behind the door… as twenty guards ran behind them.

"STOP THE TRAITOR!!"

"To the truck!" He half-pushed her towards the lab's truck, parked near them. "Get inside!"

She literally jumped into the truck, dodging bullets as the guards showering them with gunshots. She aimed them and released five shots, emptying the gun. All of them hit. Meanwhile, her companion quickly jumped to the driver seat. He destroyed the keyhole then turn on the engine with his dragger. It worked.

"Don't let them get away!!!!"

"ATTACK THE TRUCK!"

"Shoot them," without even looking at her, he gave her his own guns and ammunitions. She smiled.

"With pleasure."

The truck suddenly blasted forward, ignoring the bullets showering them. She aimed every attacker and shot each of them dead, no unnecessary shot. As they drove away towards the gate, suddenly as many as thirty guards appeared before them, aiming their heads…

"FIRE!"

BANG! Bullets almost hit his head. Another wave of bullets quickly followed, desperately trying to stop them down. Their front wheels gave away… and the truck became hard to control. But he didn't slow the truck down. They had to go on… or… or…

_Huh?_

He suddenly saw something. Barrels of O2 for experiment by the gate… near the attacking guards.

"Aim the barrels! One shot!"

She quickly raised her gun, gritted her teeth when a bullet hit her shoulder. For freedom… For everything… She can't fail.

BANG!

She shot… and as usual… it hit.

BOOOOOOMMM!!!

"UAAAAAAARRGGHHHH!!!"

Screams was heard from the burned guards as the gas blew up in one massive explosion. Fire blasted to every direction and the gate which stood right beside the barrels crumbled to the ground. An opening.

"Hold on tight."

He hit the gas… And their truck ran right into the fire… right towards their freedom… and out of the watching onyx eyes' sight.

X

Trees… Green… Color… She has forgotten them all. But now the trees were right in front of her, covering their truck from the main road's sight. A river running right beside their truck, its water glimmering with sunlight… a perfect sight to see after long days inside the dark and enclosed cell. She took a handful of river water and washed her bleeding cuts and bullet wounds. Washing the pain away. It felt a lot more than just preventing infection.

"No one can see us now," the cold baritone voice of her companion snapped her back to the reality. He was sitting right beside her, tidying his clothes and put on his gloves again after washing his wounds. "Right now, they must be thinking that we drive straight to the city... They won't expect us to be here."

He quietly stood. She looked at him—looking at the tall and strong figure of the long haired man before her. His glassy orbs reflecting the light of the shimmering river and the breeze was playing with his hair. She could see his face perfectly—now that the light was there to shine upon both them. His perfect eyebrows… his strong jaw… that _familiar_ handsome face…

Her heart suddenly stopped.

"My name… is Tenten."

They both froze. Hearts beat faster… The air suddenly felt cold… and it felt unbelievably hurt when he finally gazed at her—an unfathomable stare filled his translucent eyes… _That familiar orbs…_ Then he suddenly let out his baritone voice, uncertain… but steady.

"Hyuuga Neji."

Her brown eyes widened. And suddenly her breath turned heavy…

_**Her tears didn't stop as she called for her deceased father… as she mourned over the only person she could cling on to…**_

"_**He won't rest peacefully if you keep crying."**_

_**A white handkerchief was the first thing she saw when she looked up… and a pair of glassy orbs clashed with her brown ones.**_

"_**Erase those tears," his tone was not exactly warm… but she eventually stopped crying. "Crying doesn't suit you."**_

_**She took his white handkerchief and slowly asked, "Who are you?"**_

_**Silence accompanied them for a while until he let out his voice once more. A voice she immediately loved.**_

"_**Hyuuga Neji."**_

"Ne… Neji…"

"_**They sound nice," she smiled as she listened to the birds. "Nee, Neji?"**_

"_**Hn."**_

_**He was lying on his back, closing his eyes to the harmony of the tweets and the light of the sunrise.**_

"_**Why do you think is that?"**_

_**The white eyed boy didn't look at her when he answered.**_

"_**Because they are free."**_

Her tears slowly blurred her vision. She covered her mouth with her hand, repressing the sob…

_**He released the buns on her head, making her gasp in surprise. She blushed deeply when he gave her his proud smirk upon seeing her brown hair tumbled into waves to her back.**_

"_**N-Neji?"**_

_**His eyes were filled with clouds as his smirk turned into a smile.**_

"_**You're beautiful."**_

"So… it's you… all along…"

The painful memories slowly emerged into her mind once again… The one she had tried to keep away… The memories that made her suffer for years… the memories of him…

"_**I'm going away. The Agency forced me to."**_

_**She averted her gaze.**_

"_**You'll leave me then… You'll leave me alone again…"**_

"_**But will you let me go?"**_

_**She cursed under her breath and closed her eyes.**_

"_**I know you too well to hold you back."**_

"You… You didn't come home…"

He didn't move as her sob painfully broke her defenses. His eyes wavered. Memories… something they both longed for… has finally rained upon their mind… but…

"You promised me but you didn't come home!"

"_**Will you come back?"**_

_**His eyes were the only thing she saw.**_

"_**I promise."**_

"I've waited for years, Neji!" She couldn't take it anymore. As her memories flooded her mind, the pain and longing formed by years of waiting surged in her heart. The man before her… The man before her was… "I've waited for two years but you didn't even send any message! You didn't even contact me! I've waited… I've waited!!! Those two years… those two agonizing years! You… You never come back home! Never!"

"_**Forget him! He won't come back home!"**_

"_**How could you say such thing?! He promised me!"**_

"_**Tenten…" Her friends looked at her empathically. "He's probably dead now. Give up!"**_

"_**No…" they said she was deft. They said she was a fool… a dreamer… She just… couldn't let herself to hear them… "I don't believe that! Never! He will come home!"**_

Days without his touch… days without his tender gaze… days without him… They were days that hurt the most… Days when she could involuntarily breakdown… Days of waiting… waiting for something that may never come back… the empty hope… the tears… the loneliness… everything…

"_**Tenten-nee-san…" Hyuuga Hinata sat beside her, an anxious expression on her face. She gently hugged her restless body. "Please get some sleep… You haven't sleep for a week…"**_

"_**But… what if he came back? He will need some…"**_

"_**Nee-san…" She hugged her gently. "The Agency said…"**_

"_**Neji never…"**_

"_**Please, Nee-san… I… I will stay here for you…" Hinata desperately hugged her. She closed her eyes, trying to hold back her tears. "Please… just get some sleep… Nii-san… Nii-san won't like it, right? Nii-san will never approve you to torture yourself like this! Please, Nee-san…"**_

"_**But what if Neji comes home? He…"**_

"_**Nee-san…" Hinata looked into her brown orbs. Tears streamed down her face… and finally Tenten just couldn't keep her own. She understood… but… but still… she… "Nii-san is… Nii-san… probably won't come home anymore…"**_

Those longing she felt… The aching in her heart… He saw it. He read it. He felt them all. And he was hurt in the same way as she was.

"Now you know… why I can't come home."

She couldn't stop her sob… but he couldn't encourage himself to step closer and embrace her… not with the guilt inside his heart.

"I'm sorry, Tenten."

She finally let her tears out as she plunged herself to his arms. She missed him. She missed the smell of wood and breeze in his clothes… His gentle touch… His low baritone voice… and even his proud smirk. She missed every part of him. Every part of the man she knew for years… Every one of them… And now that he was right beside her… now that she was in his arms…

He gently hugged her… and finally he whispered.

"I miss you too."

That was enough to make her cry even more. She pounded his chest, pounding this annoying man for making her cry. For making her stupid self to fell in love with him so badly that she willfully waited for two years… For making herself so prone to tears simply by meeting him again… For everything that her foolish heart felt towards him… For this silly so-called love…

"Fool! Foooooool!!!!" She was half-laughing half-crying as she slapped his face gently. His eyes softened when he saw the look of her soft affectionate brown eyes. "I hate you so, Hyuuga Neji! I hate you! I hate you!!!"

Then… there came his famous smirk.

"But you do love me."

_Oh gosh…_ dang it! She _does_ love him… and that realization was enough to stop her tears. He was indeed, the man she has been waiting for… He was indeed… the proud but unfairly handsome Hyuuga Neji. When she was about to open her mouth again, his eyes suddenly turned solemn. He gripped her shoulder gently so as not to hurt her wound and pushed her away.

"But we have to move… before they realized we're here."

She abruptly remembered the laboratory then nodded. She was about to open the truck door when she realized he wasn't moving.

"Neji?"

He was looking at the direction where they came from and he suddenly said, "You go ahead and contact the police. I'll go back to the lab."

"_What?!_"

She looked at him with a bewildered expression. He finally turned back and faced her; a softened gaze met her eyes.

"We're not the only prisoners," he said gently. "There are people like us still trap inside. I'll try to distract the guards from the inside while you contact the police and tell them what happen. You also have to contact my Agency. You know the number. I'm sure you remember."

She stunned for a while. It was true… But…

"Neji…"

They were just meeting each other… They finally together once again… but… but… why must they… separate ways again? Why must they... and… and must she…

"Neji, I…"

"I'll come home this time."

Tenten quickly lifted her head and looked into his eyes. The tender lavender eyes, only hers to see.

"I promise."

A promise.

Something he couldn't kept the last time he said it.

_Still…_

She closed her eyes and painfully smiled.

"_**I know you too well to hold you back."**_

Without a word, finally she stepped back and ready to make her leave… but then he grabbed her wrist and turned her around to face him… And gave her a kiss.

A gentle touch… and her brown eyes widened before they fluttered shut.

He eventually broke away and as abruptly as when he caught her, he left. She didn't look at his back when she finally jumped on the driver seat and turned the engine on.

She couldn't stop the smile on her face… nor the lasting feeling of his kiss on her lips.

She never knew that future could feel so pleasant.

**-------------------------------------**

**The End**

**---------------------------------------**

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry if you're not satisfied with the ending. To tell you all the truth, I never plan it!! Bad, bad me… I only had the main point but I didn't plan the (**_**beep)**_**ing ending!!! I got depressed only by thinking about it!!! I was forced by condition, really!! When I finally got the idea (soooooo haaaaarrrdddd), it was that she saw the future again, the future of both of them… but then I don't know how she could view it so… so… I made that last part! Gosh! Gosh! I'm so sorry! And… use your own imagination on how they turn out, alright? Hahahahaha… It's obvious enough. But still… hehe… **_**Wari, wari! **_**Well, thanks for reading this far!! And thanks for all the comment, **_**minna**_**! I love all of you!! **_**Ja neee, minna!!**_


End file.
